Thank you to Katherine Center, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Overall this book was a cute summer read but not a light and "rom-com" like as I was hoping. It covers many heavy topics like death of a parent as well as body image issues being a major theme. Unfortunately for me, this particular story line (body image) was a little over done and killed the vibe for me very quickly. I use reading as an escape from everyday life so reading about an issue that is already a topic women are heavily bombarded with was a bit of a downer.

The romance of this book was also very lacking. I didn't feel much of a connection between the FMC and MMC. It felt very FORCED forced proximity/workplace romance and if anything felt like two people who could become good friends but not lovers/romantically inclined.

I feel like this book would have done really well if the romance was removed and it became more of a women's fiction story to tell.

2.5-3 stars over all.

🧡𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘 𝗛𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗦🧡
𝓇ℴ𝓂 𝒸ℴ𝓂
🗓️𝙿𝚞𝚋 𝚍𝚊𝚝𝚎: 𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝟸𝟶, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻
📖𝖧𝗒𝖻𝗋𝗂𝖽 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽🎧📘..𝖣𝖾𝖿 𝖽𝗈 𝖺𝗎𝖽𝗂𝗈 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝗈𝗇𝖾!
🤩𝕄𝕪 𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: 𝟛.𝟝 𝕤𝕥𝕒𝕣𝕤 ★★★✮

🤏𝚃𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚢 𝚝𝚒𝚍𝚋𝚒𝚝...follows two people, Katie & Hutch who claim to hate love…& possibly themselves

🌻𝚆𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢....First off, I LOVE Katherine Center & I will never not read anything she puts out into this world🌎, BUT this one didn’t fully entertain me like her others do. 🤨I will say the audio🎧 helped immensely so DEF go that route as it gives the story more depth with the amazing inflection the narrator does! 👏 I am usually smiling the whole time I read a KC book😀 & yes, I did that some, but it was a bit of a let down too because my expectations were high. Her covers📙 are still 5 stars for me though. 🙌The bright neon colors have me smitten. 🤗🌺

I loved this one. Katherine Center is an auto-buy for me, and despite getting this as an ARC, I've already bought my own copy for my bookshelves! Thank you NetGalley!

Did you know that a woman’s self-talk about body-image and self-worth can deeply influence their daughters’ self-perception as early as the preschool years? Little girls are listening to the way their mothers talk about themselves, their appearance, dieting etc. It makes a lot of sense that Katie would struggle with her self-image given the way her stepmother had talked to her about her body as a kid/teen (which of course was later exacerbated by comments from others). I have dealt with similar struggles based on my own upbringing and life experiences. Without going into too much self-disclosure, like Katie, I have also had a long journey to find self-love and body-positivity. I still struggle with it at times, if I’m being honest. The lines where Beanie was talking to Katie about how Katie seems to have a template of how she thinks she is supposed to look and evaluates herself as if there is a rubric really hit home for me. All that said, Katie’s struggles really resonated with me and it was a bit healing to read as Katie began to accept and love herself.

Anyway, I just wanted to note that I appreciated this book and its messages of self-love. I also really appreciated that the author really seemed to do her research (and cited good sources in her acknowledgments). As a therapist, I was so excited about the Brene Brown and Gottman references and was happy with the way she applied the information from her research in the story!

I absolutely loved the author’s writing voice. I found it engaging, relatable, humorous, and warm. I liked that the vibes of the book were humorous and lighthearted while also having plenty of depth and emotion. I also loved that Katie would break the fourth wall and thought that was really fun and engaging. This was my first book by this author and I now really want to go read more of her works!

I went back and forth between the ebook and audiobook for this one and thought the narrator, Patti Murin, gave a fantastic performance. She really brought the characters (especially Katie) to life with lots of personality in her narration!

The only reasons why this was a 4 star read instead of a 5 star read was that I didn’t love the section when Cole came into town and roped Katie into his lies and messed with Hutch’s head. I thought this was a bit distracting from the romance between Katie and Hutch, I couldn’t fully understand why Katie just went along with it all and kind of disregarded her own agency in the situation (especially in the bar, knowing Hutch doesn’t drink), and frankly I found Cole to be a bit insufferable and couldn’t understand why everyone (especially Hutch) catered to him as much as they did. Because that section took away a bit from the romance right as it was picking up more steam, I feel like I was left wanting a bit more from the romance and was a little unconvinced by the transition of them liking eachother to them being “in love”.

All that said, I did really enjoy this book. I totally would have a crush on Hutch if he were a real person lol. After reading This book and Rebecca Yarros’ Variation, Coast Guard Rescue Swimmers officially have the hottest career IMO haha.🔥 So thank you to the author for giving me a new fictional boyfriend to swoon over and for giving me a book where the FMC’s personal self-love journey really resonated with my own. I suspect that some people may find it challenging to read about Katie’s struggles with her body-image because it may hit a little too close to home for them; however, I also think that many other women who are working on loving themselves more, like me, may find it kind of healing.💗

Thank you to Katherine Center, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

If you are a fan of Katherine Center, her newest release, 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙃𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨, needs to be on your radar! This may be my favorite of hers and let’s just say you may find yourself a new book boyfriend by the end of this book! The characters in this book are fantastic, starting with Aunt Rue, she’s hysterical! Katie, the FMC, goes to the Florida Keys for a work trip to interview and video Navy Seal, Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, who happens to be the brother of one of the higher ups at her job. Between the humor, this book dives deep in heavy topics and overcoming personal struggles. This book is a story of self love and acceptance and allowing yourself to find the love you deserve.

I love Katherine Center!! I loved the plot of this. It was so fun. Didn't pull at my heart strings as much as she typically does, but overall really enjoyed and would recommend.

4.25/5

this just totally missed the mark for me which pains bc i look forward to her romcoms every summer 😭 it actually didn’t even feel like her writing?!

simply put, i didn’t feel any connection to any of the characters. i think i actually hated Katie. i can understand her body image issues with what she went through but to have it be over 50% of the book felt extreme. it also felt forced and like it lacked context?

i also never felt the chemistry and connection of her and Hutch. he was nice but boring 😂 and the plot w Cole and the boss? the drinking in the bar scene? the car crash drama? the hurricane out of nowhere? i was left scratching my head lol! it was all over the place.

the dog was my fave character low key!

i’m a big KC fan but sadly this might be my least fave of hers 💔

thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the gifted copy. per usual, this is another gorgeous copy and cover to have on your shelves. 7 just wished the romcom was as pretty

Oh I loved this! All of the characters were so likable (somehow I didn’t even hate Cole or Sullivan). I really enjoyed both Hutch and Katie’s backstories. Rue is the sweetest and strongest woman ever. Beanie is the best cousin friend and I appreciated the way she helped Katie learn to accept her body. I was surprised how much I liked the hurricane scenes, I didn’t expect the turn it took. And obviously George Bailey is a winner!

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the digital review copy.

Katherine Center's books have become my favorite way to kick off my summer reading. I love her writing style and the themes about which she writes.

While this wasn't my favorite book, I still loved the message about the importance of loving oneself and I like how Katie's character developed in the story. I also really enjoyed the chemistry between Hutch and Katie and I especially loved the characters of Rue and, of course, George Bailey.

My only dislike was how clueless Katie was at times. Her cluelessness was too extreme, particularly in the beginning.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and look forward to Center's future books.

The Love Haters
By @katherinecenter
🎧 By: Patti Murin
🗓️ Out 5/20

🌞 Grumpy sunshine
🌞 Forced proximity
🌞 Coast guard/ rescue swimmer
🌞 Video journalist
🌞 Body image + self love journey
⚠️ Content warning with the body image, eating disorder content

This is a book that just brought ALL the vibes!! The audiobook sucked me in and I listened in 1 sitting! We get a tropical setting with a plot that brings the humor, the banter and all the emotions!

Katie is in Key West to do a piece on Hutch and get video content of his job with the coast guard. But of course Katie doesn't know how to swim and needs Hutch to teach her. Their banter is instant perfection.

We also get a furry friend I obsessed over.

I do want to make sure I point out how hard Katie's head can be to be in at times if body image or disordered eating is a trigger of any kind for you! Please take care of yourself first!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @stmartinspress for this ARC + ALC
I truly had a great time with this one!

I feel robbed in that third act and epilogue, because tell me why I’m getting everyone’s story except for the one I actually care about?! Like where were my cute relationship & bonding montages? Ugh 😩 that rescue was so anticlimactic tho.

In fact, I don’t think there were enough bonding scenes tbh 🥲

I still enjoyed it. I laughed & got sad & angry & annoyed & find it a bit relatable with Katie’s body dysmorphia. So it definitely did stir up emotions there.

Oh & 1 full star was for George Bailey the Great Dane 🫶

The way this book had me CACKLING!!! Omg prob the funniest author ever. Also I just loved how she described the FMC’s insecurities, so real. The inner monologue was so good. The way she described her “haunch”.. just hysterical. I totally loved reading this one.

I’m having a really hard time rating The Love Haters. On one hand, I flew through the story and really loved the chemistry and relationship between the two leads. Hutch is hot, and his dog is awesome, and it was fun learning about the Coast Guard. However, Katie really bothered me as a main character. I didn’t love how the book portrayed her body image issues, and I found her annoying at times, despite very much understanding body image issues myself. The plot also skewed so far unrealistic. Not my favorite by Katherine Center, but still enjoyable overall.

BOOK REVIEW: THE LOVE HATERS ☀️👙🌊

Thank you @stmartinspress for my gifted copy!🤍

I really enjoy picking up a Katherine Center book each summer as they usually are such fun and heartfelt romcoms! While there were quite a few LOL moments and I the banter was great (especially on audio!) THE LOVE HATERS ultimately fell a bit flat for me. I wasn’t super invested with Katie or Hutch and felt like there was far too many references to Katie’s struggles with her body image, it was a bit redundant to me.

Overall, if you’re looking for a cute summery romcom I’d check out The Rom Commers by Katherine Center!

I have mixed feelings about this book.

The story had so much potential to be great, but it was so slow and could use some work on the dialog between characters.

There were multiple times where Katie was talking on the phone with her cousin/best friend that seemed unnecessary to me. Specifically the conversation about wearing a swimsuit.

I also couldn't see what Katie saw in Hutch . He acted like a child more often than not.

I did love Rue and the whole compound setup with her friends. I enjoyed any part of the story that included them.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

Ah this was so cute! It's been a while since I've read a romance and I'm happy to dip back in with this one. It's fun and light but also a lovely story about being vulnerable. Highly recommend!

This was a fun summer read! I liked the writing style of this author and will go back for more of her books now. The characters were fun and relatable, and their story was cute without being too cheesy. The author did a great job of sucking me into the story and I stayed up way later than I should to finish it. I will recommend to others for sure!

I was definitely rooting for the love story in this one, and I loved the Key West setting (so vibrant and full of life, it made me want to book a trip). The atmosphere was one of my favorite parts of the book. That said, I really struggled to connect with Katie as a character. She needed therapy (like… a lot of it, honestly), and I found myself frustrated trying to make sense of her choices, which often felt irrational or overly dramatic. Also, I wish I had known ahead of time just how much of the book would focus on body image and self-perception. I totally understand the importance of those themes, but it’s not something I personally look for in a rom-com, so that threw me a bit. Overall, not a bad read, just not quite what I expected.

thank you to the publisher for the arc :)

I'm really surprised that this isn't rated higher. I enjoyed it! If you are looking for an easy romance that's not too deep then this is it. It was just a good time. I listened to the audiobook and I was hooked from the start.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martins Press for the advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

As a lover of Katherine Center, this was not my absolute favorite, but I did enjoy the story and the characters. I had trouble placing which "romance trope" this book is, but enjoyed it nonetheless.